


a few of my favorite things

by thenewromantics



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Slightly Aged up, and being flirty and cute, fluffy mileven talking about their relationship, it's cute!!!!!!, they're like sixteen here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewromantics/pseuds/thenewromantics
Summary: el tells mike her favorite things, the things that makes her happiest and what she wants in ten years. turns out all of those lists have one very special thing in common.





	a few of my favorite things

**Author's Note:**

> hi friends! so, i randomly thought of this scene yesterday and it wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is! it's not very long and it's kind of just a bunch of mileven being cute and flirty and fluffy, but there's nothing wrong with that! 
> 
> anyways, this is dedicated to jazz (freshbloom) who encouraged me to write this after i told her about it <3 
> 
> enjoy!

El thought that it was unseasonably cold for mid October, but as she wrapped her jacket around her body, she couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t care how cold it was, that wasn’t going to stop her from doing what she was doing at this very moment. 

She was fairly certain there could be a snowstorm and she would still be here. 

“Hmm, why are milkshakes so good?” El asked, a small smile on her face as she took a sip of her drink. She could feel her lips turning blue from the temperature outside and the cold beverage, but she hardly cared. 

Next to her, Mike chuckled and El felt her smile widen. “I don’t know but yours can’t be that good, you literally mixed mint chocolate chip and  _ strawberry _ .” Glancing across the hood at him, El giggled when Mike’s face cringed. 

“Hey! It’s good.” She defended. Mike always teased her about her tastes in ice cream and other sweets. But it wasn’t her fault he was boring, with his vanilla milkshake. “Don’t knock it until you try it. Besides, you think everything that’s not vanilla is too exotic.” 

Mike gasped, feigning offense and El smiled, popping a french fry into her mouth. “Vanilla is a classic flavor and always, always, hits the right spot. I don’t want to spend money on a milkshake that I don’t know is going to be good.” 

El could only smile, adjusting herself on the hood of the station wagon so her leg was pressed against Mike’s, the warmth of his body permeable through the fabric of her jeans. Comfortable silence settled over them and El took a couple deep breaths, the fall air filling her lungs and causing her to smile. 

She was pretty sure that this was her favorite spot in the entire world. 

“So, was today a good day?” Mike asked after a couple minutes, his voice soft. El sighed softly, shrugging her shoulders. As much as she loved being here with Mike, drinking milkshakes and eating french fries, it hurt sometimes to remember  _ why _ they would always come here to drink milkshakes and eat french fries. 

Ever since Mike had gotten his license back in September, him and Hop had started taking turns bringing her to and from her therapy sessions. She had been seeing the same one for almost two years now, and while she liked Dr. Haynes, really she did, it had always kind of sucked having to drive forty five minutes out of town to go and see her every two weeks. 

Mike driving her sometimes made it better, especially because they would always do something like this when it was over, but El still didn’t totally love sitting in a room talking to someone about what had happened to her. But, Hop had been adamant that it was a good idea and as much as he, and Mike and Joyce and all her friends loved her, none of them really knew how to help her. 

“It was okay.” El said, another shrug running through her shoulders. Today hadn’t been overly eventful, which honestly, was perfectly fine by her. She always got embarrassed when she would cry in her sessions, because usually it was written all over her face when she would leave and Hop, or Mike, depending on the day, would know that she had been crying. “We talked mainly about school.” 

That had been the main reason she had started going to Dr. Haynes two years ago, so she could have someone to talk to while going to school. Dr. Haynes, while completely unaware of the true nature of El’s childhood, knew high school would be hard having never been to school before. El had been surprised, almost pleasantly so, to learn that she wasn’t the only kid whose first experience in school was high school. 

“You tell her about that hundred you got in chemistry?” Mike said, a small proud smile on his face. El felt herself blush, shaking her head slightly. She swore Mike was prouder then she was about the one hundred she had received on her last chemistry quiz. 

She laughed lightly, nodding her head. “Yes, and while she was excited, I don’t think she was nearly as excited as you were.” And that was definitely true, while Dr. Haynes had provided El with a wide smile and a breezy “ _ that’s fantastic El!”  _ Mike had nearly broken her neck from how hard he had swung her around in a hug she had told him. 

Not to mention that he had spent the next time she was over at his house for dinner bragging more about her one chemistry grade then anything else. El would be more embarrassed by it if it didn’t make her so happy, and if Mike didn’t look so cute doing it. 

Mike had a small smile on his face and at El’s words, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders squeezing them softly. El scooted closer to him on the hood, draping her legs across his, desperate for any of the warmth his body could provide her. 

“I don’t think anyone is ever going to be more excited about your accomplishments then I am.” Mike says after a moment, a playful smile on his lips. 

“You’re my number one fan.” El jokes, smirking. She raises her eyebrows teasingly and Mike gives her a smile, his cheeks pinking ever so slightly. 

“Damn right I am,” Mike says, pinching her arm, causing her to squirm, a loud squeak like noise escaping her lips. Mike chuckled and El knocked him with her shoulder. “I’m gonna make a t shirt and everything.”

El merely smiled, a small blush creeping up her neck. She thought back to what else happened in her session. Dr. Haynes had started as she always did, asking about her friends and Hopper and Mike, checking in on how El was doing at school and what not. 

Mike never pressed her much for details on her sessions. He would always ask how they went but never pushed her for anything. He wanted her to talk about things that she felt comfortable talking about. One of the many, many things that she loved about him. 

She felt her cheeks redden as she thought of the activity she had done with Dr. Haynes that day. There was always some kind of thinking activity that they did together, something that had El thinking about herself or the people and things around in in a way that she never had before. Needless to say, Mike had come up more than once in today’s activity. 

Sneaking a glance at Mike, she swallowed, her heart leaping into her throat. Mike wasn’t doing anything spectacular, or out of the ordinary. He had his milkshake straw between his lips, his eyes trained off in the distance. His black hair was moving in the wind, spiraling around his head like a halo, his freckles dancing ever so slightly. She sighed. 

El was so in love with him she thought she was going to explode. 

“Hey, wanna know what else Dr. Haynes and I talked about today?” El asked, nudging Mike softly with her elbow. Mike shook his head, directing his gaze towards her, his teeth becoming a smile around the straw of his milkshake. 

“Only if you want to tell me.” Mike said with a small shrug, popping a few fries into his mouth. El smiled, nodding her head. “You know you don’t have to tell me anything that you don’t want to.” Mike added softly, reaching forward and tucking a stray piece of El’s hair behind her ear. She had tried to do something with it this morning, pulling it into a tight ponytail, but the wind had causing some of them to fall. 

El would be more annoyed considering how long she had spent brushing it up this morning, but she really loved when Mike tucked it behind her ear. 

“I want to, I promise.” El said with a smile, leaning forward and kissing his cheek quickly, causing the apples of his cheeks to redden. “It’s a good thing. A happy thing.” El added, easing the worry that she could see beginning to grow in the corners of his eyes. 

“Well, then hit me.” Mike said, adjusting himself ever so slightly so he could look at her. His arm snaked around her waist, and El resisted the urge to giggle. “I always want to hear good and happy things.” He whispered, El’s skin warming at the feeling of his breath against her skin. 

Taking a deep breath, El’s hand found Mike’s and she squeezed it. “Dr. Haynes had me make these lists today; things that make me happy, my favorite things and things that I have in my life now that I still want to have ten year from now.” 

Mike hummed, threading their fingers together next to El’s hip. “What kind of stuff did you write?” He asked softly, giving her a small smile. “Unless it’s a secret.” He teased. 

El giggled, shaking her head slightly. “No, I’ll tell you, that was kind of the whole point.” She said, a hint of sarcasm to her voice, causing Mike to roll his eyes. 

“Okay, okay, okay.” Mike said, laughing. “So, what did you put on the first list, the things that make you happy?” 

“Biking with the party. Listening to records with Jonathan. When Nancy comes home and her and I got shopping. My dad and I riding around in the cruiser, eating burgers and drinking slushies and listen to Madonna.” El said, a wide smile coming onto her face when she thought about doing all those things. She had done the same thing when sitting in Dr. Haynes’s office. 

“Your dad listens to Madonna?” Mike asked, his eyes wide and a satisfied smile coming onto his face. El giggled, slightly regretting letting that little factoid slip, but Mike and her dad had taken to teaming up on her lately to tease her, so maybe Mike knowing this do her some good. Besides, it was funny watching Mike and her dad bicker and argue. Mike laughed as well, before shaking his head. “Okay, what about your favorite things?” 

“The color pink, especially the shade that those sunglasses you gave me last year are.” Mike smiled and El’s heart fluttered in her chest. “My record player from Jonathan. Max’s old skateboard that she let me have. The jean jacket that used to be Joyce’s.” 

Mike smiled again, his hand touching her cheek. El’s stomach swooped and she felt the same familiar explosion of butterflies that she often felt whenever Mike touched her face. “I like that jean jacket.” Mike said with a small smirk and El’s face flushed, heat flooding her veins. 

“You liking that jean jacket didn’t make the list but it sure was close.” El whispered, suddenly feeling out of breath. Here she was trying to tell her boyfriend something sweet and he was trying to  _ court  _ her. And in public nonetheless. “Do you want to hear about the other list?"

She saw Mike’s Adam’s apple bob and he nodded. “Yeah, of course.” He said softly. “What do you want to have with you in ten years?” 

El smiled. “My family. My friends. The feeling that has settled in the last couple years, where I don’t feel like I have to be worried all the time.” Mike gave her a small, almost sad smile and El’s heart fluttered.

“Those are really good lists.” 

“Thanks.” El said with a smile, her hands reaching out and touching the skin of Mike’s neck. He flinched, no doubt because of how cold her hands were, but he didn’t pull away. “But, want to know something that all of those lists had in common?” 

She smiled, and Mike nodded. “Yeah, of course.” 

“You.” El grinned, almost laughing when she saw the look of confusion that was dancing across Mike’s face. 

“Huh?” He said, a smile playing on his lips, despite his confusion. 

“You.” She said again, caressing the skin under his jaw. “You were on the top of all those lists. You’re my favorite thing, well person, in the entire world. You make me happier than anything else in the entire world. And in ten years, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I want you to still be in my life.” 

Mike smiled, wide and bright, and El felt like her entire body was alight with flames, in the best way possible. He didn’t respond though, at least not with his words. Pressing his body against hers, Mike’s lips were on hers in what felt like a heartbeat and the butterflies in El’s stomach fluttered alive. 

It might have been the coldest day in months, but El felt nothing but warmth as Mike’s lips were against hers. 

“The feeling is mutual you know.” Mike said when they finally pulled apart, faces flush and breath shallow. “If I ever had to make any of those lists, you’d be at the top of all of them.” He whispered, his fingers twirling themselves in her hair. “You’re the number one person in my life.” 

Later she would swear it was because of the wind chill, but El felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes, and she blinked them away. Her heart thumped happily in her chest and her love for him overpowered everything else.

“You’re only saying that because I said it first.” She finally teased. “But, I still love you.” Mike grinned, leaning down and kissing her quickly again. 

“I love you too.” He said with a smile and El beamed, biting her bottom lip. “And yes, I might have only said that because you did, but that doesn’t make it any less true.” He teased lightly, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to the skin of her neck, and then under her ear. 

“Wherever I go in life, I want you there.” El said softly. “You’re my favorite person, and if you weren’t there, my life would be significantly less happy.” Mike’s eyes softened and El felt like her entire body was going to melt into a puddle of lovesick goo. 

Mike smiled, the freckles of his cheek rising and brightening because of the blush on his skin. “Nothing in my life has ever made me happier than you, El.” He whispered. “I don’t know where I would be without you.” 

El wanted to respond, but his words sent her heart into her throat and she felt herself at a loss for words. So instead she settled for pulling herself closer to him, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. 

Something Dr. Haynes had always encouraged her to do was use her actions when she couldn’t find the words. Right now, she hoped that her actions would get across every word she wanted to say and every emotion she was feeling. 

_ I love you, right now, forever and always.  _

“Are you done with your milkshake?” Mike asked after a few minutes of silence. El had almost forgotten about it, but she doubted that it would taste as sweet now, Mike’s words taking over as the sweetest thing she’d experienced that afternoon. 

She pulled back from Mike, almost giggling when she catches a glance at his face. Mike’s face had gone slightly slack, and she could practically see his jaw chattering. “Yeah, I think so.” She said, a smile on her face. 

“Good, because I’m freezing.” Mike said, practically hoping off the car, nearly tripping as he feet landed on the ground. El giggled, watching him throw their trash into the paper bag their fries had come in. She snuggled into the jacket that was around her shoulder,  _ his  _ jacket that he had given her earlier. 

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have given me your jacket.” She teased, sliding off the hood, landing to the ground with a light thud. She giggled as Mike tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at her as the rest of his face went flat. 

“Can we just get in the car?” Mike practically begged. El realized then that while her boyfriend might seem like a human space heater most of the time, sitting out in the cold October air didn’t do him any good. “I don’t care where we go I just, need warmth.”

El laughed, nodding her head. Mike opened the passenger door for her, flashing her a small, although slightly pained from the cold, smile, and El slid in quickly. She giggled as Mike practically sprinted across around the front. It didn’t take long before the heat was blasting and El sighed, smiling as she watched Mike’s face morph into a genuine smile. 

“So,” Mike asked, his hands on the wheel, “where to, fair lady?” 

El grinned, happiness bubbling up inside her. She knew that one day they’d be able to go anywhere together, that someday she’d get to spend every day of her life with her favorite person in the world, being as happy as could be. 

“Let’s go home.” 

So, maybe they weren’t there yet. But they would be, someday. 

She couldn’t wait.    
  


**Author's Note:**

> so, i hope you all enjoyed this! it was fun to write and ever since this idea had come to me i knew i had to write it, so viola! let me know what you guys thought! thanks for reading! <3


End file.
